Infant&#39;s travelling high chair



March 1, 1966 M. 1. GOLDBERG INFANTS TRAVELLING HIGH CHAIR Filed April 26, 1965 FIGZ INVENTOR MORRIS I. GCLDBERG ATTORNEY 3,237,985 INFANTS TRAVELLING HIGH CHAIR Morris 1. Goldberg, 39 Locke Road, Newton, Mass. Filed Apr. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 450,857 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-256) This invention relates to a suspensible seat especially useful as a travelling high chair for an infant or a small child. It especially relates to such a suspensible chair equipped with a normally closed child encircling gate and adapted to be opened from either side to permit the child to be placed into, and to be removed from, the chair.

suspensible seats are in widespread use for infants and small children since they provide a child size seat adapted to be supported on the backs of full size seats and chairs of all sorts. As they have evolved such seats generally comprise a frame adapted to rest against the back of a full size seat, a pair of hooks adapted to pass over the top of the seat and to hold the frame in position, a seat member pivotally mounted to the frame, suspension means to hold the seat member in a horizontal position and a horizontally extending child encircling guard bar pivotally mounted on the frame at a position sufliciently above the seat to permit the childs legs to pass between the guard bar and the seat. Additionally optional hooks may be provided to permit the seat to be suspended on the backs of full size seats or chairs having back portions of various thicknesses such as straight chairs as contrasted to seats with upholstered backs.

Such seats are generally used from the time a child is capable of sitting up comfortably until the child is two, three, or sometimes even four years old. While the specific function of the seat varies with the particular age of the child, the general function of such a seat is to provide a combination safety seat and travelling high chair proportioned to the size of the child, and designed to keep the child in place in the sense that it is difficult for the child to crawl out of or fall out of the seat.

The very design features that make it difiicult for the child to get out of the seat make it more difficult for the parent to place the child into or take the child from the seat. If the child is very small and the parent can stand next to the seat, it is possible to lift the child over the guard bar bodily. As the child gets larger and heavier this becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible, and for this reason guard bars are generally typically mounted on the frame so that the bar may be raised over the childs head as the child sits in the seat. This latter arrangement is satisfactory while the child is short enough, but becomes somewhat inconvenient for obvious reasons when the bar no longer passes freely over the childs head as the child sits in the seat.

To overcome this difficulty suspensible travel seats have been provided where the guard bar in addition to being pivotally mounted to the frame is provided with a hinge member on one arm and a clamp member on the other arm to permit the guard bar to be opened laterally in a single direction. Normally the clamp member is located on the right hand side of the guard bar, and the hinge member on the left. This arrangement permits a child to be slipped into the seat easily from the side that opens.

However, it is not always possible or convenient to place a child in a train, an airplane, a bus or frequently in a restaurant in such a way on a seat that the parent is seated on the side of the suspensible chair toward which the guard bar opens. It is quite impossible in an automobile if the guard bar opens on the right as is conventional.

nited States Patent 3,237,935 Patented Mar. 1, 1966 Both for convenience and safety it would be desirable to open the guard bar from either side so that the child could he slipped into and out of the travel seat in either direction.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel clamp and hinge arrangement adapted to be included on both arms of a guard bar of a travel seat.

It is a further object of this invention to provide both arms of the guard bar of a travel seat with such a hinge and clamp arrangement whereby the guard bar may be opened horizontally from either side.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a travel seat with a guard bar that may be completely removed when no longer needed.

These and other objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the detailed description which follows in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the travel seat of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a travel seat of the present invention with the guard bar shown partially open in its alternate opening position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the clamp and hinge element of the present invention in place on the left hand arm of the guard bar.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the clamp and hinge element of the present invention in place on the right hand arm of the guard bar.

Travel seat 11 comprises a U-shaped frame 12 to which are pivotally attached U-shaped hook members 13 and 14. A seat member 15 is attached by means of hinges 16 and 17 to the base portion of frame 12, and a back rest member is attached between the side arms of frame 12 by means such as backrest supports 19 and 20. Auxiliary hook members 21 and 22 may be provided to permit the travel seat 11 to be suspended on the back of an ordinary chair, and a U-shaped seat support member 23 which cooperates with a hook member (not shown) mounted on the base of seat 15, may be provided to support seat 15 in a horizontal position. Hook members 21 and 22 and seat support member 23 are conveniently pivotally mounted on brackets 24 and 25 which in turn are mounted on the side arms of frame 12. Upper backrest support 23 may also be conveniently mounted between brackets 24 and 25.

Brackets 24 and 25 are each provided with a forwardly extending extension 26 and 27 respectively. At the bottom of each forward extension as and 27 there is provided an integral inwardly extending tab portion 28 and 29 respectively. A short metal strap 31 and 32 respectively is pivotally mounted at 33 and 34 on each forward extension 26 and 27 of brackets 24 and 25 in such manner that the bottom edge of each strap 31 and 32 rests against the top edge of the respective tabs 28 or 29 when the strap extends horizontally (i.e. vertically to frame 12). The edge of each of straps 31 and 32 adjacent the corresponding pivot 33 or 34 is rounded about a radius centered on pivot 33 or 34 so that straps 31 and 32 may be located upwardly about pivots 33 or 34. Seat support member 23 may be conveniently mounted on pivots 33 and 34 in which case a spacer member 35 and 36 respectively may be provided between seat support member 23 and the outer edge of the corresponding extension 26 or 27.

A detachable clamping member 37 and 38 is provided adapted to receive and to cooperate with the free end of strap 31 and 32 respectively. Clamping members 37 and 38 are each a channel member having a web portion adapted to overlie one side of strap 31 or 32 and provided with short return flanges adapted to overlie a portion of the other side of strap 31 or 32 adja cent the top and bottom thereof. Each clamping member 37 and 38 is provided with a set screw 41 and 42 respectively having a large shouldered head and passing through an associated tapped aperture provided in the web portion of clamping member 37 or 38 near one end thereof. The free end of strap 31 and strap 32 are each provided with an aperture or as shown an indented partial aperature 43 and 44 respectively adapted to receive set screw 41 and 42 respectively. To engage clamping member 37 or 38 with the respective strap 31 or 32 the clamping member is slidingly passed over the respective strap and the respective set screw 41 or 42 is tightened into engagement with said cooperating aperture 43 or 44.

A second pair of metal strap members 45 and 46 is provided partially inserted in clamping members 37 and 38 respectively, and extending outwardly therefrom. Strap members 45 and 46 are arranged in clamping members 37 and 38 such that the inner ends thereof abut against the ends of strap members 31 or 32 respectively when clamping members 37 or 38 are in engaging relation with strap members 31 or 32 with set screws 41 or 42 in engaging relation with apertures 43 or 44. Strap members 45 and 46 are attached to clamping members 37 and 38 by means of fasteners such as rivets 47 and 48 which pass through apertures provided therefor in strap members 45 and 46 and in clamping members 37 and 38.

Beyond the limits of clamping members 37 and 38 strap members 45 and 46 are twisted about the longitudinal axis a half turn so that while the free ends of strap members 45 and 46 extend longitudinally from the remainder thereof, the faces of the free ends are oriented perpendicularly to the corresponding faces of the portions thereof retained within clamping members 37 or 38.

The free ends of each of arms 52 and 53 of guard bar 49, a U-shaped tubular member, are flattened to form terminal tabs 54 and 55 which extend in the same plane as portion 51 of guard bar 49. Each arm 52 and 53 of guard bar 49 is pivotally mounted to the corresponding free end of strap member 45 and 46 by means of a pivot 56 and 57 respectively each of which passes through an aperture provided therefor in tabs 54 or 55 and the corresponding free end of strap 45 or 46 respectively. Pivots 55 and 56 act as hinge elements permitting guard bar 49 to be swung open laterally when the clamping member 37 and 38 associated with the opposite arm 52 or 53 is disengaged. Thus guard bar 49 can be raised or it can be opened laterally from either side.

I claim:

1. In an infants travel seat comprising a frame adapted to rest against the back of a full size seat, a pair of hooks adapted to pass over the top of the full size seat and to hold the frame in position, a seat member pivotally mounted to the frame and suspension means to hold the seat member in a horizontal position; a horizontally extending child encircling guard bar pivotally mounted for vertical movement on the frame at a position sufiiciently above the seat to permit the childs legs to pass between the guard bar and the seat, said guard bar comprising a generally U-shaped member provided with parallel arms of equal length, each said arm being provided at the end thereof with a short strap member pivotally mounted for lateral movement with respect thereto, each said strap member being provided at the end opposite the said pivotal connection with a clamping member attached thereto, each said clamping member adapted to engage and cooperate with a second strap member, said second strap member being pivotally mounted for vertical movement to said frame.

2. An infants travel seat as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said clamping member comprises a channel member having a web portion adapted to overlie one side of the associated said strap member and provided With short return flanges adapted to overlie a portion of the other side of each said strap member adajacent the top and bottom thereof, and wherein a set screw is provided passing through said web portion adapted to engage said second strap member.

3. An infants travel seat as claimed in claim 2 wherein each said second strap member is provided with an aperture at least partially indented adapted to receive said set screw.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,508,822 5/1950 Goldberg 29725S 2,690,787 10/1954 Solfis 297-255 2,723,709 11/1955 Welsh 297255 2,730,163 1/1956 Goldberg 297-254 2,774,411 12/1956 Berlin 297-890 3,146,026 8/1964 Berlin 297390 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

F. K. ZUGEL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN INFANT''S TRAVEL SEAT COMPRISING A FRAME ADAPTED TO REST AGAINST THE BACK OF A FULL SIZE SEAT, A PAIR OF HOOKS ADAPTED TO PASS OVER THE TOP OF THE FULL SIZE SEAT AND TO HOLD THE FRAME IN POSITION, A SEAT MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO THE FRAME AND SUSPENSION MEANS TO HOLD THE SEAT MEMBER IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION; A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING CHILD ENCIRCLING GUARD BAR PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT ON THE FRAME AT A POSITION SUFFICIENTLY ABOVE THE SEAT TO PERMIT THE CHILD''S LEGS TO PASS BETWEEN THE GUARD BAR AND THE SEAT, SAID GUARD BAR COMPRISING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED MEMBER PROVIDED WITH PARALLEL ARMS OF EQUAL LENGTH, EACH SAID ARM BEING PROVIDED AT THE END THEREOF WITH A SHORT STRAP MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR LATERALL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT THERETO, EACH SAID STRAP MEMBER BEING PROVIDED AT THE END OPPOSITE THE SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTION WITH A CLAMPING MEMBER ATTACHED THERETO, EACH SAID CLAMPING MEMBER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AND COOPERATE WITH A SECOND STRAP MEMBER, SAID SECOND STRAP MEMBER BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT TO SAID FRAME. 